Category: beauty blogging

My hand is always slipping and doing this. Since Jeffree had a sale a few weeks ago, I decided to get my hands on two liquid lipsticks to add to my collection that I’ve been ogling since forever. Browns/Nudey browns? Get in my basket. Lip scrub? You too, for good luck. Obvs.

Daddy

As I’ve mentioned before I love the Velour Liquid Lipstick formula. This one actually applies even nicer and thinner than any I’ve tried so far, it’s not very drying for a matte, and it feels weightless and smooth. I adore the packaging for this collab, I would have had the highlighters too if I had the funds. (Especially as I adore Manny, I think he’s the sweetest!) The lipstick looks AMAZING on my skin tone if I do say so myself- it’s like the nude brown I’ve been looking for my whole life. I can’t talk this one up enough. I know I’ve just done a post on my favourite lipsticks for fall but had I received this before it would definitely be first on my list. Wearable. Wonderful. 10/10 Get on my mouth.

Family Jewels

This one is in the same family but a little deeper and warmer than Daddy. It gives me slight 90s vibes on the lips and I can’t wait to wear this- another new Autumn favourite already I think! I’m excited to wear this with some chokers and some darker clothes to channel some witchy vibes!

Here they are both swatched below!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Lip Scrub!

I got this thinking it would be an exciting thing to review. I’ve never had a lip scrub before, and since it’s Autumn I thought I’d go for the flavour pumpkin spice latte.

The flavour of this was a little too ‘spicy’ for me actually not in a heat kind of way, but it seemed to overtake the other flavours, so I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat it like I’ve heard some people do with these products.

However, I’m not sure how I’ve lived without a lip scrub up until this point. It makes lipstick removal so much easier, and my lips feel much softer and exfoliated. I’m really happy with how this is working for me!

Hey guys! Here’s a little haul/first impressions for you from a recent online shop I did where I picked up a few essentials I was in desperate need of, I hope you enjoy!!

Now, I only got a few bits and bobs, so what I’ve done is divided it into the things I loved, and the things I didn’t love so much.

Products I didn’t like so much unfortunately were the lashes I tried.

Eyelure No 101

To be fair here, I haven’t been into lashes for very long, so I didn’t know what I was looking for. Foolishly, I didn’t read in the description where these say “shorter”. I thought that meant the actual lash length, not the band- so unfortunately these were too short for my eyes, and left me struggling to make them blend. Too small for me unfortunately, but if anyone wants the two pairs remaining let me know, as they are beautiful after all… just not for me!

Revlon Lengthen

Ok, so… These look BEAUTIFUL in the packaging if you ask me, and I saw no reason why they shouldn’t look amazing on too- that is until, I tried, and I couldn’t even apply them. Yes, I am inexperienced with lashes, but I am not incapable of applying them when I concentrate. The band on these were so rigid and horrendous to work with, I ended up having a tantrum and giving up. I would certainly not recommend these to beginners like myself, and probably not to more experienced folks either. There are thousands of lashes out there that are just as beautiful, and far less awkward to work with!!

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

I bought this recently after Becca from becxblogs recommended it, as I’d been trialling the wet and wild stick concealer and finding it didn’t work very well with my Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation (click the link for my review on that!). I bought the lightest shade (I think) in shade fair 1. I always buy my concealer as light as possible as I can always use some brightening under the eye, but I also need it to blend seamlessly with my base coat as I’m definitely a full coverage kind of gal. This concealer works great for me,its long-wearing with minimal creasing, and blends with amazing buildable coverage. Good one Bec!!

Elf Makeup Mist & Set

I bought this on a whim after running out of my Morphe fix plus, as I don’t really have the funds to be that boujee right now. I love to liberally spray my face when I finish my makeup and lightly go over it with a beauty blender (a tip I picked up from Laura Lee) because I feel like it really presses the spray into my foundation and makes it sit more naturally with my skin.

I was actually super pleasantly surprised with this product, this spray really finishes my look, makes it more long wearing and is cooling and pleasant to apply with the perfect spritz bottle.

What is the best way to spend a rainy day?

In PJs, wrapped in a blanket maybe cooking/baking or making something pretty.

What is your most fond Autumn memory?

One of my earliest memories is getting pulled through a muddy puddle by my dog when I was about four- we were walking through a forest, I can still picture the orange ground and trees and laughing with my mum. Obviously, getting married on Halloween is right up there too, but it doesn’t seem like the most “autumnal” memory I have!

What is your favourite Autumn scent?

I have always loved the way the ground smells when it rains, which might sound weird to some! I also love the smell of apple pies, cinnamon, and coffee.

What are you most excited for this Autumn?

Its our first ever wedding anniversary on Halloween, we were initially going to throw a party because I am obsessed with hosting parties, I love doing the house up and such. But as it drew closer Austin and I decided to cancel it as its our first, and we want to spend it together and do something just the two of us. I’m excited to see what Halloween has in store for us!

What is your favourite Autumn song?

Because of our anniversary, for Christmas last year I bought Austin the soundtrack to Nightmare before Christmas on vinyl, I love putting that on as I clean the house, it really gets me excited for Halloween!

What is your favourite Autumn movie?

I love all the Tim Burton ones, but I always look forward to watching Hocus Pocus!

What TV shows are you most looking forward to this Autumn?

I always look forward to The Great British Bake Off, although this year I’m taking a bit of adjusting to life without Mary Berry, Mel and Sue! Besides that I don’t actually watch that much TV! I’m more of a Netflix girl!

What is your favourite Autumn colour?

That’s such a hard question! I love the whole autumnal palette… I’d probably say like a deep red orange, the colour of pumpkin pie!

What is your most loved outdoor Autumn activity?

Gosh, a few years ago I would have always said galloping down the stubble fields. I miss horse riding so much! I also like to stroll in the brisk air and look at the leaves. What a little romantic I am!

What is your favourite Autumn fashion trend?

I love skirts with tights, and of course JUMPERS! I have never been one for tight fitting clothes, so autumn is my favourite season for fashion 100%.

If you could have a familiar/ spirit animal, what would it be?

I actually mentioned this on my Harry Potter tag (see here), but I think my familiar would be a wolf. When I meditate I often see a wolf, and I’ve always felt very connected to canines in general.

Name one place you wish you could visit during Autumn?

I’d love to visit the house they filmed “Pemberley” for Pride and Prejudice (the 1995 version not the awful Kiera Knightly one). It’s so beautiful and I’ve always wanted to go, I think with the leaves falling and the additional colour it would be spectacular.

What is your favourite photo you took last Autumn?

Probably this one we took on the way to elope… I can’t help but remember how giddy and excited we both were in that moment.

What are you being this Halloween?

Oh god, what am I not being this halloween!? I’m obsessed with halloween, halloween makeup especially. I can’t wait to share loads of different makeup looks with you over the next month on my instagram! find me over at instagram.com/quitefranklii !

Hey guys! Today I’m coming at you with my first ever tutorial! If you want to find out how to do this last minute vampire look I did, using things I mostly already had just laying around then keep on reading!

*My eye colour is edited from my natural green in this image using an app, because unfortunately my eyes can’t take coloured lenses*

So, first of all, of course, I started off priming my face like I normally would. This is the primer I’m using at the moment. I bought this at first because I’m quite oily in my T-zone and I’m really self conscious of my large pores. I’ve been trying to gradually make the shift to cruelty free makeup, and I’d heard good things about this one. However, I’m not totally sold on this one, as I find that sometimes it can apply a little cakey and overly drying- so if any of my CF babes out there reading this have any recommendations for a blurring primer, please do leave suggestions in the comments below!

The second step I took was to apply my base as normal, but I mixed my foundation in with this Makeup Revolution “SFX Ghost Whitener”. I purchased this and the fake blood I mention later in a Halloween Drugstore Haul I did last week (post coming next week). As I was applying this I was considering how naff this product would probably be for my POC babes, so if thats you, perhaps skip this step or use some grey eyeshadow to make your skin a dull, ashy tone.

Of course, this look could also be achieved by using a face paint, or a very pale foundation if you are really feeling those last minute Halloween vibes! In fact, as I will mention later on, I didn’t get on superbly with this product, so I possibly would recommend a face paint anyway.

As you can see, this product made my foundation very strange- It was paler than this in person- but for the most part I found this very odd. I wouldn’t recommend this product at all if you don’t have any setting powder- as beforehand it was creasing (as you can see in my lids), moving around, and kind of sitting on top of my skin as a pose to working with it. If your primer isn’t fantastic it also makes you very oily and clings to your pores in quite an unflattering fashion. As I was trying to put my lashes on later, the slightest touch to my face made it patchy and move around, I ended up having to “bake” my entire face to prevent this.

Now, you might think me a little crazy at first for these steps but bare with me! I didn’t have a particularly pigmented red tone, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to share with you how I will sometimes use an eye safe matte lipstick in its place. For this tutorial I went with Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick in shade “Checkmate”- (You can read more about this product here if you should so wish)!

So here as you can see, I went ahead and applied this product all over my lid. Don’t be afraid, you don’t have to be too neat with it- as most of the blending and shadow work we do later will correct any mess left behind. But, I just thought this added a really nice, rich shade to start us off.

For the next part I picked up my Urban Decay Full Spectrum Palette and lightly dipped into the pinkish shade “gossip” using a fluffy brush. I popped this into the crease for a base and to begin blending out the red on my eyelids.

Following this, I then dipped into the shade “Seize” which is the orangey tone to the right of it, and proceeded to blend this one up and really concentrate it in my crease and eradicate the cooler pink tones I’d just put down. (This may seem counterproductive- but it really helped the colours to blend more seamlessly)

After blending those two shadows you will probably end up with something a little bit like this. Yes, it’s still a little messy, but you now have a great outline for you to start adding depth and dimension to your lids.

Before the next step I took a clean fluffy brush and really worked on blending those shadows up towards my brows to diffuse the harsh lines at the top. If this isn’t working, feel free to go in with your go to transition shade, preferably a light neutral or warm brown, and work this gently into the crease.

The next step is where your look will really start coming together. I could have used a warm deep brown from any palette I had, but for this look I chose my (very loved as you see) trio palette from Mally. This palette has been a staple of mine for about two years now, the shades are just really complimentary to my skin tone and they are all super richly pigmented.

So, with this Mally palette I took the middle brown with a fluffy brush and popped that into my crease. Gently blending it in circles I managed to make the transition smooth, so I could no longer see any traces of the lines created by the lipstick product.

I then went back into this colour, and began to bring it down to smoke out the lower lash line. A mistake people often make with vampiric looks is thinking that it has to involve a whole lot of black, but actually I added most of my dimension here by building up this brown shade.

Don’t worry too much about fall out here, as of course with a vampiric look you don’t have to look flawless and it helps to look a little dead. However, if it bothers you, you can always gently sweep it off or touch it up with more white/face product.

Next, I always actually like to do my liner before the final steps of my eyeshadow as I find that for me it helps me to see where I want to place the most depth in my shadow, and also if there’s any mess or errant liner it makes it easier to correct or smoke out with shadow.

Here I am, winged and ready!

Next I dipped into shade “Warning” which is a very unique, shimmery burnt orange. I used this to even further blend out my shadow at the top and the inner corners where I felt like there was too much pink going. It provides depth by adding a nice orange tone in between your brow and the red.

After I added the brown, I built up even more depth in my outer corner using the darker shadow in the Mally palette- and a very light touch of a black shade from my new sleek palette (I will review these in a haul soon).

Be sure to go in very lightly with your brush when playing with dark shades if you are a beginner, because it’s much easier to build up darker shades than it is to blend them out. More often than not if you add too much you will end up changing the entire look, or having to start again. Which is ok, of course, its make-up! Experimentation is great fun, but sometimes we just don’t have all day, no?

Next I wanted to try some new lashes I got, so I went with these Wispies from Eyelure. I’d been disappointed previously with set that were too small for my eyes, and so I treated myself to something a little extra drama for this tutorial.

I loved the way these looked on, they are so long and dramatic and I felt they really completed such an intense eye look.

After that I used a dark brown liner in my waterline, and added a tiny bit of dark eyeshadow into my brows. My brows are naturally dark and thick so I don’t really like to do too much with them, else I’ll end up with big ole slugs, but I do fill in any gaps and square off the inner corners.

I did my eye makeup first knowing that there may be complications with fallout or with the face product I was testing for the first time. I was lucky to not have to correct any fallout- but as I mentioned before I had to basically reapply my whole face after applying my lashes and touching my face. After doing so I set it all using my go to translucent powder, which made the product a little bit more acceptable.

When all this was done, I was ready for my favourite part! Contour and highlight. For this look I didn’t contour using very much, and went in using the coolest shade there is, because after all, vampires are supposed to look “dead”. Therefore I used the cool shade on the underside of my cheekbones and along my jawline and double chin to help exterminate Cornelius! (my second chin).

For highlight I used Jeffree Star Skin Frost in shade “Lavender Snow”. I love Lavender Snow but barely get a change to wear it as it doesn’t really suit my face as a highlight, it’s a little too cool for my skin and actually gives me a bit of a grey hue when its used anywhere except the eyes. So, for this tutorial, since I am supposed to look dead, I used this on top of my whitened face and it was blinding. The pictures really don’t do it justice.

The final touch was this fake blood I bought, again from Makeup Revolution. To be honest, I wasn’t that enthralled with this product, It wasn’t the most realistic one I’d ever used, and MY GOD did it stain my skin. But it’s all worth it for the IG aesthetics… Right?

And so, Voilà! My completed look. I wish I could have finished it with a Morticia-esque wig, but alas, I unfortunately don’t really have the funds!

Obviously most of these steps you can recreate with products you have in your own makeup bag. Even if you don’t have any warm tones, this look would also look great and super gothic with purples!

I hope you guys really enjoyed my first ever tutorial. I never thought I’d be brave enough to start doing this, so every little view counts. Thank you so much for reading, please let me know in the comments below if you tried this, or if you have any other spooky suggestions for me this month!

What’s up you guys!? It’s finally well into my favourite season, and as usual I am loving all the make-up and fashion that comes with the Autumnal months. Today I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite Autumnal matte lipsticks.

Anyone who knows me even a little bit has probably heard me talking about my Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick’s. I’ve loved this formula since I first tried “Unicorn Blood” way back in 2013 and fell totally in love. If you follow me on Instagram over at QuiteFranklii more likely than not I am repping one of these bad boys in my latest selfie! However, I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite shades so far, that I think really complete my Autumn looks and get me in the mood for cosy nights by the fire!

Stupidly, in the swatches pictured above, I didn’t really allow them time to dry down properly, however, you still get a pretty good idea of how the colours dry down. I chose four lipsticks that I’ve found myself reaching for loads these past few weeks. For your convenience I’ve photographed, swatched, and will talk about each product in order as shown above- from left to right! – Posh Spice, Designer Blood, Checkmate, and Pumpkin Pie.

As with other Velour Liquid Lipstick’s, I find the formula second to none. It’s long-wearing, not awfully drying, kiss proof and non-transferrable. With these, I find that I only have to reapply my lipstick when it starts flaking in the centre after several hours; or when it is introduced to oily substances such as food. As someone who forgets and neglects their makeup almost as soon as its on my face, I am super grateful for this. As I talk about these, bear in mind that I am an olive toned gal who tans extremely easily, however, I’ve not seen the sunlight or sunbathed in about 2 years due to uni commitments and/or nightshift work- so I am much much paler than my normal Olive/Medium skin tone.

Posh Spice

First up is Posh Spice. I purchased Posh Spice last spring, whilst I was hunting for a dupe for LASplash’s “Ghoulish”. As someone with Olive undertones, I really struggle to find a complimentary nude, with lots of popular shades looking “too pink” or “too orange”. I do however, love me a Greige! Brownish nudes with grey undertones look great on my skin for some reason, and they give a pop of something a little different at the same time which I love! When I first tried this shade I actually wasn’t that sure about it, I felt it was a little bit too pale for me, so I actually only rediscovered this recently. Perhaps I was more tanned then, or was using it with the wrong eye looks or whatever, but right now I am loving this. It is a pale ‘greige’ though, so make sure to warm up your look with a bit of bronzer or contour if you’re a similar colouring to me, as without I find I’m running the risk of looking a little dead and corpse-like. Unless of course, that is what you are going for. If you are the same tone or darker than me, try this out for halloween on a base of pale blue eyeshadow around your lips and I think you’ll have half a look done! Tada!!

Designer Blood

Designer Blood is actually probably my favourite liquid lipstick to date. As mentioned prior, it’s predecessor “Unicorn Blood” was the first Jeffree Star lipstick I ever tried, and it filled the deep burgundy red void I’d been craving for the longest time after reading Vogue way back when and becoming obsessed with deep reds in an Armani advertisement. Until then, I’d never been able to find a red that looked that deep and rich on my own skin tone, until I ordered Unicorn Blood on a whim after seeing it on Instagram. While the two are definitely related, Unicorn Blood is just the slightest bit darker, and… wait for it… Designer Blood has a very subtle gold sparkle!! I love how the glitter comes out more as the day goes on, or as you press your lips together. It’s beautiful and festive, and is always a conversation starter!

Checkmate

Checkmate is another colour I wasn’t sure I liked at first. Despite having a skin tone that allows me to pull off both warm and cool tones (to an extent), I’d always shied away from orangey reds like this. However, when it came as part of last years holiday collection that I received for Christmas it was giving me Kourtney Kardashian vibes, and I knew I had to try it out. When I first applied it, it took some getting used to as it’s so bright! But it’s so fun and so festive, I soon found myself loving it, and of course, the formula as always was amazing.

Pumpkin Pie

Does it get more Autumnal than this!? This Orangey brown tone looks wonderful on, and I think it would honestly compliment quite a range of skin tones. Again, it has a subtle gold glimmer that activates with wear. The first time I wore this was to my Nexgen Nail Course, and all the women there complimented and asked what I was wearing! A must have for warm tone lovers for sure!!

I hope you enjoyed my post today you guys, let me know in the comments below if you’ve tried any of these, or what some of your favourite lipsticks for the Autumn are!

Hey guys! Here’s my next post in the “Discounted Beauty” series! Discounted beauty is my new series about products found on sale, or on online discount stores such as Groupon or Wowcher. Of course if there’s anything that you’ve seen that you think I should try and review please go ahead and let me know in the comments below, I love to hear your recommendations and I’d take any suggestions into account!

Dawn Till Dusk “Deep Cleansing Black Mask”

The product I have for you today is the Dawn Till Dusk “Deep Cleansing Black Mask”. I purchased this from Groupon for a whopping £1.99 plus postage! You get 100ml of product, and the packaging is quite nice, a bit gothic and fun, especially for this time of year. The instructions for this one were pretty standard, wash your face with warm water, apply an even mask avoiding sensitive areas (eyes, lips, eyebrows, hairline) and allow to dry for 30 minutes or until it changes from gloss to matte. This product claims that: “The unique blend of vitamins and plant extracts found within the ingredients soften the skin to restore a smooth, fresh and youthful glow.” It’s supposedly designed to reduce the appearance of enlarged pores and eliminate skin’s excess oil.

I was interested in this product as I do have combination skin, with majority of my skin being normal but I do suffer from a slightly oily T-Zone (prone to blackheads on my nose with enlarged pores on my cheeks). I am always on the hunt for products to shrink my pores, as it’s something I’m quite insecure about. I get frustrated with them because I feel like it makes my makeup look much less smooth and refined, and some foundations/highlights really cling to them and emphasise this problem area. My husband has quite an oily skin type in general, so he was quite happy to give a males perspective on this product also! (The gross part of us is also excited to trial this product on his back!!)

The mask is a little messy, I find they always are when they come from a tube but maybe thats just me being clumsy! When applied in an even layer as per the instructions it sits comfortably and doesn’t drip or do anything funky. As it dries down, even if you forget to time it, the product starts to feel a little tight and reminds you that it’s working (yes, I am one of those people who forgets).

After 30 minutes we were both super excited to peel it off, and had a laugh trying to peel it off in one really satisfying layer (which this product allows, SO GOOD!). Again, the sick part of me was almost hoping to see some gross stuff on the back of the peeled layer like you do with a nose strip- this was not the case. However, I was not expecting big things from a £1.99 product at all, but I did notice that my pores looked great! They genuinely did appear reduced and I was totally thrilled to the extent it made me want to apply a primer and do my makeup. My skin felt smooth, softer and clean, and despite a couple of drips on my T-Shirt during application, I really enjoyed my experience using this product.

Since then I’ve used the products a few more times since, and actually I still really like this product. If you have a spare bit of couch change laying around this product is amazing value, so why not give it a go if you can still get your hands on it?!

I hope you guys enjoyed this post, let me know what you think in the comments or again if you’ve found anything you’d like me to try let me know!!

Hey guys! I thought I’d share with you some of the things I wish I’d known before I started my blog seriously a few months ago! Hope you enjoy x

Start thinking of yourself as a brand.

This may seem a little daunting, but if you’re new or thinking of starting a blog it’s probably no different to what you were doing on social media anyway! We all have an “online persona”. Make sure your web design and content reflect you! When I first started I did a little brainstorm and considered the bloggers/influencers that inspired me. Set aside some time to really think about what it is you have to offer, and try to make sure that your personality shines through in your work. For example, for me, I’ve always been known amongst my friends for my humor and wit, so I like to break up some of my more serious posts with something a little light-hearted.

Engagement is key!

I know this one might seem obvious but the best way I’ve found to get a regular readership is simply making genuine connections with other bloggers and, well… just being pleasant! Twitter will become your best friend, you can genuinely never go wrong with following bloggers and engaging with their content. One of the best things that ever happened to my blog was joining a group chat on twitter, and a pod on Instagram. ‘Pods’ like this are a great way to ensure engagement because it allows you to connect and share links with people who have common interests as you. If nothing else, the mutual support will do wonders for your confidence, and especially if you are introverted like me, provides and amazing opportunity to make friends.

Participate on hot topics

Because the blogging community is so large and diverse, there is often controversy or ‘hot topics’ such as a controversial blog post, a new television show, or a trending hash-tag. While I’d never recommend getting involved with drama, sometimes it’s worth being aware or weighing in with an opinion or an issue. Again, these can be a good networking opportunities or at the very least a way to build familiarity with other bloggers/potential readers.

Also, there are often “chats” held at certain times. Usually this involves an account hosting a Q&A where people answer and discuss questions asked by a host. These are great chance to make new connections and can be great fun!

These Apps may save your life

Here are some of the apps I personally use and love:

One of the most frustrating parts of being a blogger is people who are only out for themselves. People who follow you, wait for you to follow back then unfollow you. This can be combatted by using:

Followers+ (instagram) This allows you to track your followers and see your unfollowers.

Crowdfire (Twitter) Crowdfire is great because it also allows you to schedule tweets, so that they post automatically at optimal times.

Bitly- This can be used to shorten links so that you fill up less characters when sharing your links on twitter. This helps you to include more vital hashtags that might get your post noticed!

Bloglovin’- Bloglovin’ is another way to help you keep up with other blogs and for others to follow you. This is particularly useful If you use a platform that isn’t WordPress as it gives you a “timeline” so you can keep track of content you love!

Influenster- Influenster allows you to make a profile tailored to products you love and is designed to let you review them. This can help brands to see your writing skills and to assess whether or not you might be suitable to review their products. Let’s be real, who doesn’t love a PR package?

Photography

Before I started blogging, I knew that photography was important but never knew quite how important it was. I would recommend purchasing a decent camera, because it just sets you apart from other bloggers and makes your content look more professional. However, if you can’t afford to splash out, or you don’t have access to a camera; there are some apps (for iPhone) that can help you out: the ones I use most often are VSCO, and Facetune. VSCO is great for general editing, lightening/brightening images, or adding tints/filters that might help you if you have an Instagram or blog image ‘theme’, where as Facetune is more aimed towards editing selfie’s or images of people.

Having mentioned ‘themes’, this is where all your images or photos abide by some sort of colour scheme or subject theme. This is regularly seen by bloggers on Instagram. Don’t feel pressured to have a theme or set aesthetic, but some people feel it adds something to their ‘brand’, as I mentioned before; since it makes their content more recognizable and consistent.

Buy your domain

This one isn’t essential, but it does help your website links to look more professional. The sooner you do this the better, that way it allows you to get to grips with your new website. If you aren’t ready to make this commitment yet, at least consider doing it as soon as possible.

Schedule/time posts for optimal times

Think about the time and day you personally are most likely to sit down and read other peoples posts. Often people do this on weekend afternoons, however, this also runs the risk that your post will be buried amongst many others written by people who were thinking the same thing. Some of my most viewed posts have actually gone live in the morning around commute time, presumably read by people using the tube or other public transport on their way to work. Find the time that works best for you! Using crowdfire as mentioned previously, you can schedule tweets (or links to your post within them) and they will post automatically for the “best time”.

Be consistent

As a newbie I know this can be daunting, but one of the easiest ways to lose followers and readers is to be inconsistent or to forget to post regularly. People are far more likely to subscribe and return to your site regularly if you are consistent. You don’t want return followers and potential subscribers to forget about you! Definitely think of writing and scheduling posts in advance to prevent this happening. If you haven’t yet launched I would even consider doing this a few weeks in advance while you find your feet with your new site.

This also applies to the content you are posting. Subscribers and repeat visitors are most likely returning to your page because they enjoy your content. As I said before, don’t feel pressured to fit into a theme or a niche, but try and work out what it is that your brand will concentrate on for the most part. For example, if you have gained subscribers through blogging about food, you might notice a decline in your engagement if you suddenly start to focus on interior design, and neglect your regular food posts. For example, for me, I try my best to stick to beauty and lifestyle. I will occasionally however break from that niche to discuss wider issues such as mental health, because it is important to me personally. I also think it is good to use my platform to do good and spread awareness. This is effective because it makes me seem relatable and human, and a lot of my audience are fellow bloggers. Blogging is a fantastic creative outlet and often a safe space to share! So, as it turns out, more of us than you know suffer from anxiety and/or struggle with mental health. I discovered this as this occasional change actually boosts my views, as a pose to harming them.

Don’t expect to become a Hollywood name overnight.

It takes time, work and a lot of learning to build your audience and become a big name in blogging. If you are blogging purely for numbers, free products or fame this is probably not the career for you, as your lack of passion will eventually shine through your content.

Most of all, have fun!

As I just mentioned, make sure you are truly passionate about what you are writing about, and provide genuine engagement and gratitude to your readership. But don’t tie yourself in knots trying to fit a niche or a theme that makes you feel less passionate about what you are doing. We blog for the love of blogging- it really is an affair of the heart. As the old saying goes, “if you chose a job you love, you will never work a day in your life.

**TW: If you have issues with weight and/or body image or eating disorders there may be content in this article that you find distressing.**

Hey guys!

Sorry I’ve been a little inconsistent with my blogging that past week or so, as you have may have seen on Twitter, I have a lot going on in my head at the moment, and I needed to take a brief step back for my Mental Health.

When I first started this blog, I had always intended for it to be purely lifestyle and beauty- but as time progressed I realised that in order to be authentic with my readership I couldn’t avoid talking about Mental Health. It’s something that affects so many of us, me included, and I have always been passionate and vocal about spreading awareness. My only downfall in this regard, has been my own pride. I have always been very supportive and try to be as nonjudgemental as possible of others when they come to me with Mental Health issues, but I’ve always struggled with taking my own advice. Since I’ve been particularly struggling this month, I thought I’d share with you what’s been going on.

Besides my decision to drop out of my MA, looking for jobs, considering a house move, and my husband being on nights, one of the biggest contributing factors I’ve always struggled with surrounding Mental Health is Body Image.

Past

I have always been, and probably always will be, a massive foodie. I love food, I love cooking, and I love the satisfaction that comes with making something great. I’m not throwing blame at all, but I wasn’t exactly brought up in a family full of healthy eating/active living role models. My Mum, a pescatarian (or as I like to call it, shitatarian) has neglected her own nutrition to make sacrifices for her kids for years. While she always cooked balanced meals, she definitely raised me with the “waste not want not” mentality, and sometimes I still feel guilty to leave food. My dad can easily eat enough to sate four men in one sitting, and when I moved in with my Grandparents, I learned to cook mostly because had I not I feel like we would have lived off M&S food that could just be thrown in a microwave or straight in the oven- Grandma is not fond of cooking!

When I was in Primary school I was bullied mercilessly until I had to change schools. I was the tallest in class, always seemed to have a coldsore on picture day, chubby, bespectacled and Mum waited far too long to introduce me to hair removal methods (I am still haunted by prepubescent photos that exhibit a rather glorious monobrow, lol)! Besides the bullying, I have very early memories of hearing the terms “big-boned” and “puppy fat” being thrown around.

Fortunately, as I reached high school and grew ever taller, eventually stopping at 5’10, I somewhat “grew into” my weight, (though unfortunately much before all the boys so I still stuck out like a sore thumb)! Also unfortunately, I also hit puberty early too. This meant that I went from being bullied to being one of the first girls to get breasts. Enter the dreaded male gaze. At around 13 I went from a B to DD in the space of two weeks. From then on they just never seemed to stop, and by the time I was 15 my body settled on a 30HH. This meant that while the measurements of my waist at the time suggested I should wear a size 8, my bust meant that I was a size 16. Looking back, I was a beautiful hourglass, but I always felt bigger than my friends. From ages 14-16 I remember skipping lunch at school, and refusing to eat breakfast, hoping that I could lose weight by only eating the one meal that Mum made at dinner time.

It worked somewhat, but at 16, with prom fast approaching, I started experiencing what I now recognise to be the first signs of anxiety. If I ever got particularly nervous or excited, I would feel nauseous and sometimes have to rush to the toilet to vomit. It was then that I started to experiment with purging. I was determined to lose weight, and mum wouldn’t let me live on those god awful SlimFast shakes. That was, until my Grandma heard me purging. My family finally accepted that I wanted to do this, and agreed. What I didn’t realise was how unhealthy this would make me. Recovering from Meningitis and on regular Codeine, I was feeling faint and lightheaded more than often. After all, I wasn’t eating proper meals. Not only this, but I have a (now very mild) intolerance to lactose, and also prone to tonsillitis, so I was living with an almost constant throat infection from the level of milk I was ingesting.

Fast forward to college, I was feeling a little more sure of myself and who I was. That was when things started escalating the other way. I remember eating my emotions each time a boy cheated on me, stress eating my way through all my exams/revision phases. I remember the look of shame and pity on my grandmas face when she caught me elbow deep in a bag of Doritios. “Ill lose weight when I’ve finished my exams”. Of course, there was always another exam. At least then, I was moderately active and had horse riding to look forward to.

This went on right into uni. On top of that I was going out clubbing and drinking at least 3-6 nights a week. I was awful in my first year, and really abused my body. My only exercise was making a fool of myself in clubs. I’d fill my body with crap and liquor. In second year it only got worse, when I had my first more “serious” wave of depression. Not only was I depressed, but in hindsight I was also agoraphobic. I hated myself so deeply I didn’t want others to see me. At one point this got so bad that I would hide in my room until I was sure my flatmates had gone to bed, and order takeaway food just so that I wouldn’t risk seeing anyone in the kitchen. I felt like I was eating to survive at this point, and my body didn’t matter. In final year I was better, refreshed and feeling right again. I signed up for Joe Wicks (the body coach) and lost 20lbs in a month, following a strict macro diet plan and HIIT exercise. Then, however, I met my now husband (who unfortunately is American with a lot of bad eating habits of his own, but rudely with the metabolism of Usain Bolt), and then was faced by my dissertation.

Present

Now, I find myself having put all that weight back on, plus a stone for good luck- I am bigger than I have ever been.

While I have always been an advocate for plus women and body positivity, I have struggled so hard with accepting my new reality. People treat me differently, I feel less likely to get jobs, afraid to do things where I’d “take up too much space”. I either obsess over or avoid mirrors at all costs, I never buy new clothes because I feel like everything looks awful, I can feel agoraphobia seeping in again, I feel like everyone is judging me, my family is ashamed of me and I haven’t felt “sexy” in about a year. I’ve always wanted a breast reduction because of my back pain, but they advise you not to get one until you’re “happy” with your weight, since if you gain or loose too much either way the shape will change. When I dream, I don’t appear the way I do in real life. I don’t even recognise who I am in the mirror, and honestly, I really don’t think I want to.

On top of the shallow reasons I have always wanted to lose weight, I am also now consumed with new symptoms and concerns about my health. I know if I don’t change my life soon I am going to eat myself to death. I’ve always had back pain due to the size of my bust, but now I can’t even stand for long enough to do the dishes without sitting down to avoid tears. I hadn’t realised how bad it had gotten until last year for our mini-honeymoon, merely walking around London I found myself clinging onto A’s arm with tears in my eyes because my back pain was so severe. Not only this, my resting heart rate is insanely high, I’m constantly fatigued and I’m beginning to see more and more symptoms of pre-diabetes, and it is making me insanely paranoid.

Honestly, I want to lose weight so that I can do the things I enjoy again. So I can feel confident in myself and wear the clothes I long to wear. So I can feel sexy and healthy and enjoy being active and going on adventures with my husband. I want to feel like myself again.

Future

My plans for the future are to take effect immediately. No more “I’ll start Monday”, or I’ll try harder next week. I need to make this commitment to myself and to the people who love me so that I don’t eat myself into an early grave. I miss doing the sports I loved so much but 4 years ago. I miss waking up and not worrying about being in pain every day. The worst part is, I know about nutrition and exercise, I just don’t do it, and while my mental health often causes my lack of desire, it’s often also the other way around. I need to force myself through the pain and the hard times to reach the size 10 jeans at the end of the tunnel.

I thought I would write this to let you all know, since you might be noticing some changes with my Instagram and other social media feeds. Of course I will still be doing beauty, but I’d love to start sharing my journey with you all, because I feel like through blogging I’ve found a space on the internet full of loving, supportive souls. Besides, there might even be a few recipes in it for you!

Love,

Frankii xx

I know this post was a little long and a little personal, but hopefully now I’ve worked through my emotional turmoil (lol I’m so dramatic) I’ll be back to regular posting. My next installation of discounted beauty is coming soon!! Xx

What’s up guys! Today I’m starting a new series that I’m hoping you’ll love. “Discounted Beauty” is going to be a series about products found on sale, or on online discount stores such as Groupon or Wowcher. Of course if there’s anything that you’ve seen that you think I should try and review please go ahead and let me know in the comments below!

The first product I have for you guys is the the “UltraWhite Home Teeth Whitening Kit”. The products come in a metallic medical/sterile feeling packaging, and as you can see in the top picture, this kit comes with three, six or nine 3ml non-peroxide gel syringes with gel caps to stop it from going bad, a tooth colour chart so that you can track your progress and see what shade you’ve achieved, a double silicone mouth tray, and an “ultra blue LED laser light” which claims to accelerate/enhance the process.

I’ve always looked after my teeth, they are not terribly yellow, having not smoked for long before giving up last year (go me!) – but I definitely feel like my coffee consumption during my three years at University have left them looking a little more sad than they used to. I spent a long while with the colour chart trying to assess what shade my teeth were at, but the colour chart seems to go from brilliant white to brownish, whereas mine are slightly yellow. I didn’t think any of them resembled my teeth but I suppose I would place it around a 5-6 if I had to.

The instructions tell you to essentially squeeze a small line of gel onto each side of the tray across your front 6-8 teeth. It then says to “insert” the light, and leave on for no more than 30 minutes before removing the tray, and rinsing your mouth and the products with water.

The first thing I noticed with this is, the sheer size of the mouth tray. When putting it in I felt more like I was going to film a YouTube video of me playing the “Speak Out” challenge. I don’t have the largest mouth, and I found it really hard to fit this piece in. The shape felt very unnatural and uncomfortable, and has a strange ridge that I found I had to physically pull my lips over.

The second thing I noticed is the light does not fit or secure into the tray at all. It had me wondering if the light was designed for a different product, so again, I had to try and fit this along with this enormous tray inside my mouth. Consequently, the light didn’t really sit flush with the product and I found myself having to adjust it several times.

About half way through, (skip this paragraph if you’re easily grossed out) I felt extremely uncomfortable as there were pools of saliva collecting in the bottom of my mouth. Because of this, it was obviously mixing with the gel, and I could taste it. I’m not sure how safe this is, and it seemed to numb the tip of my tongue.

It actually took a fair bit of willpower to last a full 30 minutes, but I told myself if my teeth looked even a shade whiter it would all be worth it. Unfortunately, as I removed the tray, (and the pools of drool/product collected in the bottom of my mouth) I looked in the mirror to see that absolutely nothing had changed.

QUITE FRANKLII… (lol) I was going to include a before and after picture at this point, but honestly, the pictures I took literally look exactly the same. I gave it another shot, and tried again the next day, only to find that I had now wasted £15 and an hour of my life instead of 30 feeling very dribbly and very uncomfortable all for nothing! I think it’s safe to conclude my lovelies, that I do not advise purchasing this product, and there is probably a reason it’s discounted on Groupon!

Despite my suffering I hope you guys enjoyed my first “discounted beauty” post! As I said before, feel free to share in the comments below any links or products to things you’d like to see me try below, I love hearing from you!

Hey guys! Today I’m going to be doing a little review about some skincare I trialled for 3 days. So, recently I came across a nice lass on Facebook, who mentioned that she had some skincare products available to trial for free. Free? I thought, yeah right.

I was curious because she mentioned it was a cruelty free, vegan brand. I am not a vegan myself- but I am definitely looking to make my whole beauty collection cruelty free in the future. (It’s a process when you’re broke!). However, I was mistaken! She offered me a free 3 day trial of one of three kits: normal/dry, normal/ageing, or very sensitive. I chose the normal to dry option, as I’m not terribly concerned with ageing yet at 22.

As readers who have been with me a while and saw my post on micellar water, you’ll know that until very recently I had next to no skincare regime. So I was excited to be able to trial something before buying so that I wasn’t wasting money on things that don’t work for me or my skin. This is an excellent marketing strategy of the product works- as it lets people see the benefits of the products before purchasing. I hoped that I would trial something I couldn’t live without!

When I received the package it came zipped in a handy little bag (seen above) and inside was one little tube containing oil for rough skin such as elbows/knees/cuticles; a cleanser/toner; a moisturiser and a mattifying powder for use after the moituriser as it can leave your face a little bit greasy. I liked that they admitted that early on.

I started with the cleanser, then applied the moisturiser. The first thing I noticed when applying both products is the smell. As it is a ‘natural’ brand I expected a nice scent, and I wasn’t disappointed. It was citrusy, uplifting and pleasant. Again, with both, a little product can really go a very long way. I felt like these products could last me a really long time, even with regular use.

I would just like to say at this point, I was genuinely blown away by the cleanser. I’m not sure if it’s the fact I’ve never owned or used a cleanser before to compare the effects to it, but my skin felt amazing. After use I was left feeling refreshed, clean, firm and my pores looked visibly smaller.

Trying the moisturiser was fun, again, I felt really pampered and the smell was great. It felt super moisturising and hydrating, but without feeling heavy or dense like a lot of moisturisers can. I didn’t feel at all like using this every day would clog my pores or do anything crazy. This product does take a long while to dry down to matte, and I was left a little shiny for a while (I wanted to test for you guys without using the powder first).

The powder worked efficiently to mattify any shininess left over so that the moisturiser can continue to do its job. It was a nice consistency and didn’t feel heavy or unpleasant in any way.

I used the oil on my elbows, knees and feet and found that the product smelt nice, and was extremely moisturising. I don’t struggle too badly with extreme dry skin, besides the occasion bought of stress induced eczema- but I definitely noticed a difference.

The products retail separately as follows-

Purifying Cleanser/Toner: £23

Oil Absorbing Day-Lotion (SPF 20): £36

Mattifying Powder: £22

(Or together in a set for £73)

Skin Conditioning Oil: £15

In conclusion: overall, I loved these products. I would seriously recommend them to anyone, especially those suffering from dry skin, and those who are vegan or wishing to go cruelty free like myself. For me personally, I decided the only product I would purchase (for now) was the cleanser/toner. This is in no way because the other products weren’t effective- my skin was left feeling fresher, younger and blemish free. Probably more so than it had in a very long time. The only reason I decided against buying the full set (retailing at £73 for the “complexion perfecting” set along with £15 for the addition of the oil) is due to financial reasons, and because the moisturiser/powder combo probably would have been impractical for everyday use in my case. This would be something I would happily do while at home when my skin needed a pick-me-up, but applying makeup over the top of powder is something we should all avoid (especially for you full coverage gals out there like myself!). As for the oil, this simply wasn’t something I personally really need. My only issue with this product is that the oil comes out quite fast from the tube, perhaps the brand may think about reviewing the packaging- but if you are less clumsy than myself this probably isn’t an issue. Finally, the price point isn’t cheap, but it isn’t extortionate either- in my opinion when it comes to skincare you really get what you pay for, and in this case the results were incredible.

I hope to be purchasing my cleanser in the near future, as I really believe it will make a fantastic addition to my morning routine!

If you enjoyed this review please give it a like or comment below with any questions or thoughts, as always, I love hearing from you.